"Last night CandieJunkie committed suicide. Earlier in the day he announced his intention to overdose live on web cam. Many people replied, were involved, contacted officials and myspace friends in an effort to save him. Still we all watched his justin.tv channel for almost 8 hours before we saw police enter his room, quickly check him, then cover the web cam. I hope this article in no way trivializes what it discusses; the apparent suicide of a young man or the cry for help and attention that it may be."

The event is very sad.

The analysis of it is further reading for one on my Uni units, Cybercultures, and I heard of this through my lecturer, one Dr. Trudy Barber FRSA.

(Apologies if I've done anything wrong, this is my first topic starter, and I did search WC before I posted it. I'd have been more active on WC if I had anything to say that hadn't been said better already. I'll keep trying. And do the rest of the intro stuff.)

It's true what orwellseyes said, I remember reading about a case study when I was studying Psychology where people were chanting "jump" as someone threatened to jump off a building. I would have read about this before webcam chats and stuff like that were really feasible for many people, and I think the particular case study may have even taken place decades ago. It was an example of deindividuation, which is where your individual identity is minimized from being in a crowd where you are effectively anonymous or not required to be responsible for your actions. Still, in the CandieJunkie case people did actually try and help. There are numerous cases of people not even calling the police when someone is stabbed outside their apartment and calling for help - people have been left to die in such situations. I'm not sure what there is to say about it other than that really, but then it seems neither is the author of that article.

I don't think it says anything about the internet. People climb up on parking garages and idiots chant "jump, jump". The internet is just a bigger audience.

I think it's exactly because it's a bigger crowd that it's different. Internet suicides have been surfacing somewhat regularly because, inherent to most suicide attempts, it draws the attention the suicidal wants. More effectively than going up to a building roof.The "scary" part is that it becomes justy another communication effect deriving from a major medium. From another point of view, what about cases like that of the kid who killed himself because someone gotr into a debaucle with him over Facobook (i think?)? What about when the internet doesn't provide a broadcast service to the actual suicide, but is basis of sick and nearly anonymous relationships that lead to suicide?

I was just about to say "Kitty Genovese." Our own Alan Moore mythologized it in Watchmen. I have a book called "38 Witnesses" about the case, written by a man who at the time was an editor at the NY Times. This was 1964.

This has happened before. it'll happen again. Look at sky, heavy with human fat. Is God there? The cold suffocating darkness goes on forever and we are alone. Except for assholes cheering us on to commit suicide. Hurm.

The "scary" part is that it becomes justy another communication effect deriving from a major medium.

When I got my first cellphone I had the thought "I wonder how long it took for someone to get dumped because of one of there?".

People getting shot over ipods, texting while driving and now internet suicide, there aren't problems caused by technology, they're just means for people to get themselves in hock. The media latches on to it because it's sensational and new. But a lonely, sad kid killing himself isn't new.

I always remember George Carlin's bit about humans going out into space. How we'd bring our problems with us out amongst the aliens. "What do you think the intergalactic council is going to say when the ambassador from earth is late because he was beating his wife?"